Many examples of fence corner post bracing systems are known in the art. Examples of these bracing systems are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 170,024; 282,039; 436,279; 444,753; 451,461; 540,161; 615,855; 725,770; 865,858; 966,969; 2,445,545; 3,014,701; 4,349,181; 4,679,772; 4,682,761; 4,893,787; 5,192,055; and 5,738,342, incorporated herein by reference.
Corner fence posts on stretched fences are often subjected to substantial constant pull or tension. Corner fence posts utilized in high tensile fences will often be subjected to tension forces of greater than 3,500 pounds or more. If the post is not properly braced, such forces will pull the fence post out of the ground or towards the direction of the tension, causing the tension to be lost and the fence to sag or be racked.
A common arrangement for bracing corner fence posts involves utilizing a corner post and a second brace post which are spaced apart. The spaced apart fence post may be braced in a number of ways. In one arrangement, a rigid brace member extends between the two posts, perpendicular to the posts and parallel to the ground, and then a diagonal truss wire is installed to keep the assembly from racking. In another arrangement, a diagonal brace member is incorporated. The diagonal brace member extends diagonally between the top of one of the posts and the bottom of the other post. The diagonal brace member must be a rigid member such as a piece of wood or steel Different combinations of the basic systems are possible. For instance, a corner post arrangement may include three posts, or two posts having two diagonal braces.
A problem with many currently used bracing systems, especially diagonal brace systems and diagonal truss wires, is that animals such as horses may entangle their legs between the brace and the fence, causing injury to the animal. Furthermore, bracing systems employing only horizontal cross-members are often not sufficient to resist high pull forces or tensions. What is needed in the art is a bracing system that employs a horizontal brace member located at a sufficient distance above the ground so that the animals' legs will not become entangled with the brace, and yet is also capable of withstanding high pull forces.